England rout United States 134-0 at Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup

England scored 23 tries in a 134-0 victory over the United States on Tuesday, a result that clinched the defending champions a semi-final berth at the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup and underlined how far the American program still has to travel to compete with the sport's traditional strongholds.

The match, played at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong as part of the tournament's Pool A schedule, was effectively settled by half-time, when England led 58-0. According to the official match report from International Rugby League, England finished with 23 tries and 21 successful conversions. Captain Mason Billington, winger Luis Domingos and forward Chris Haynes each scored four tries. Eight different players got on the scoresheet. Finlay O'Neill was named player of the match after contributing 38 points, with two tries and 15 of 16 conversions. The United States, who had opened the tournament with a 110-10 loss to Ireland, finished the pool stage with 10 points scored and 244 conceded across two matches.

A World Cup built around a different sport

Wheelchair rugby league is a distinct discipline from the Paralympic sport of wheelchair rugby, played on a rugby league-style pitch with running, modified tackling and try-scoring rules adapted for players in sports wheelchairs, and open to both disabled and non-disabled athletes. This is the fifth edition of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, and England arrived as defending champions, having beaten France 28-24 in the 2022 final at Manchester Central, a result that made England the top-ranked nation in the sport's world rankings.

The 2026 tournament is being staged entirely in Wollongong as part of the wider 2026 Rugby League World Cup, which Australia is hosting after the event's original hosting plans, first in North America and then in France, both collapsed. Eight nations split into two groups of four for the wheelchair competition: England, Ireland, Wales and the United States in Pool A, and France, Australia, Scotland and New Zealand in Pool B.

A fledgling program absorbs a lopsided result

The United States made its wheelchair rugby league debut at the 2022 World Cup and entered this tournament ranked eighth in the world, well behind England, France, Australia and the other established programs built on deeper domestic club structures in Britain and Australia. Tuesday's result, following the opening loss to Ireland, leaves the Americans facing a ranking play-off for fifth through eighth place rather than a route to the semi-finals.

England's roster, by contrast, reflects a sport actively recruiting across borders. Domingos is a former Portugal basketball international who switched both codes and countries, and now plays club rugby league for Sheffield Eagles as well as for England; Tuesday's match was his first appearance of the tournament.

"All week, we have been banging on about playing the way we want to play, and the boys really stuck to their principles. I'm over the moon for the guys to put on such senior performances."

That was Billington's own verdict on the United States rout, delivered to the broadcaster Premier Sports. O'Neill, the player of the match, added: "It was a good team effort, not just myself. We talked about how we could improve, and I think we did that. We need to take the positives — there are a few areas to work on but I think we can be very happy with that performance."

What's next

Ireland also secured its semi-final place on Tuesday, beating Wales 68-28 to finish level with England atop Pool A. The two unbeaten sides meet on Friday in Wollongong to decide the group's final order, with Wales and the United States playing the same day in the lower bracket. In Pool B, two-time champions France thrashed New Zealand 120-10 and host nation Australia beat Scotland 104-24; those two sides, both already through, play each other Friday to settle their group. According to the BBC Sport standings, England currently lead Pool A on points difference, having outscored opponents 232-18 across two matches. Semi-finals follow next week, with the third-place match and the final both scheduled for November 13 in Wollongong, ahead of the broader World Cup's men's and women's finals on November 15 in Brisbane.